Lessons from the Heart

Patty Willingham had teaching in her heartbrlong before she graduated from elementary school. The oldest of four girls, Pattybrgrew up helping her parents teach her twin and middle sisters, who are bothbrdeaf, how to speak and communicate with the hearing world.

“Webrall worked together as a family on speech and language and everything involvedbrwith that to help them be able to communicate,” Patty says. “I feel like I'vebrbeen teaching my whole life.”

ThebrCalifornia-born educator moved to Texas with her family at 3 years old and grewbrup in North Dallas. Her father, a pilot for Braniff Airways, moved the family tobrSouthlake in 1974 after he flew over the new DFW Airport and noticed the blossomingbrtown below. Patty, then a sophomore studying mass communications and publicbrrelations at Abilene Christian University, found herself jealous that herbryounger sisters had the opportunity to finish their high school careers as CarrollbrDragons.

“Ibrlove smaller towns, and Dallas is anything but small,” she says. “My sistersbrjust loved it in Southlake.” As soon as she graduated from college in 1977, Pattybrjoined the staff of the now-defunct GrapevinebrSun newspaper before realizing a career in teaching was the path she was meantbrto take. After marrying her husband, Chauncey — whom she met at a Carrollbrbasketball game when she was 20 and he was 22 — Patty received her teachingbrcertification from the University of North Texas and moved to Southlake. Inbr1980, she began working in the Carroll Independent School District and neverbrfound a reason to leave.

Always a Dragon

The 2012–2013 school year marked the end ofbrPatty's 33-year long tenure as a respected teacher beloved in the district bybrparents and children alike. Throughout her career, Patty taught second, third, fourth,brfifth, seventh and eighth grades at Johnson Elementary, Carroll Elementary andbrCarroll Middle schools, and her love for the students and the schools only grewbras the years went on.

“Carroll'sbrschool district has been a true blessing to my life,” Patty says. “It's thebridea of family and commitment to family, tradition, values and faith — all ofbrthat is what I think Carroll ISD exemplifies. Everyone's a Dragon, startingbrwith prekindergarten. It's the families that you really connect with. We havebrsuch great kids coming through the system, and the families always want thebrbest for their kids. This area is just such a wonderful place to live and tobreducate your children.” Of the three schools where Patty worked, she explains CarrollbrElementary provided her with the most bittersweet memories.

“Ibrtaught Gifted and Talented classes for two years and then fourth grade for fivebryears [up until my retirement], and I had a lot of beginnings and endingsbrthere,” she says. “Both my parents passed away; my children, Justin and Katie, eachbrgot married; and I had a grandson born.” Justin and Katie, who attended Carrollbrschools from kindergarten to 12th grade, followed in their mother’sbrfootsteps and also taught at Carroll Elementary during Patty’s time there. Justinbrnow teaches fourth grade at Johnson Elementary; Katie lives in Decatur wherebrshe teaches third grade. Even Justin’s wife, Morgan, works as a fifth-gradebrteacher at Durham Intermediate School.

Approach to teaching

One might think that with the advancements inbrtechnology over the years — from calculators to computers to mobile-phone apps ­—brthat teaching methods might have evolved or adapted, but Patty says when itbrcomes to her approach, she's always remained true to her core principles.

“Mybridea is that when students come through the door, that's what you have,” shebrexplains. “They are who they are. My job is not to change them — my job isbrto change how they look at reading or writing and the way they view education,brto make sure they are prepared for the next grade and to make a connection withbrthem so they can see the value of education and why what we're doing isbrimportant. I think to myself: What am I going to do to start at point A and endbrat point B by the end of the year?” Patty also stresses the importance ofbrensuring her students always felt appreciated.

“Therebrare always going to be new teaching strategies, but my main focus was to valuebrwho each child was, listen to them and hear what they were saying so that theybrcould find value in what they were doing and know that they were valued,” shebrsays.

Teacher of the Year and beyond

On May 22, Patty and more than 350 CarrollbrISD employees gathered at Carroll Senior High for the Happily Ever After reception (in keeping with the year’s OncebrUpon a Dragon theme) to honor multiplebrdistrict employees as well as the annual recipients of campus and districtbrteachers of the year awards. Entrants must first complete a comprehensivebrapplication, and winners are selected by district parents, coworkers andbrschool-board trustees. When Patty’s name was announced as the K-6 Teacher ofbrthe Year, she was stunned.

“Ibrwas thrilled but so in shock because it was just such a great group of women,”brPatty says. “I was honored. It was overwhelmingly wonderful.” Aside from herbrwell-deserved win, Patty received gifts from the Carroll Education Foundation, FrostbrBank and Park Place Lexus, including flower arrangements, gift cards and abrLexus vehicle summer package. Although she's now retired, her love for childrenbrand commitment to education haven't diminished. Beginning this month, Pattybrwill serve as one of two co-directors at the Grapevine Church of Christ, wherebrshe will oversee the running of the preschool.

“Mybrplan is that I'll be in classrooms helping in whatever way I can,” she says. “I'llbrbe working with curriculum alongside the teachers and maybe doing some readingbrwith the children. I am very excited about it.” Patty adds she is also eager tobrhave more time to garden, read, shop, invest in her church, spend with herbrfamily and travel to favorite getaways like Red River, N.M. Yet Southlake andbrthe children she's taught over the years will forever hold a special place inbrher heart.

“This placebrhas been great to me,” she says. “I just love being around kids. They are sobrfull of life, and you never know what they're going to say. I learn more frombrthem than they could ever learn from me about life, love and truth.”